Decoration or ornamentation of surfaces



June 20, 1944. LE ROY D. SOFF DECORATION OR ORNAMENTATION OF SURFACES Patented June 20, 1944 DECORATION R ORNAMENTATION OF SURFACES Le Roy 1). Soft, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application June 8, 1942, Serial No. 446,313

Claims.

This invention relates to the production of ornamentation on surfaces by the irregular and non-homogeneous deposit of fine material on the surface. The surface to be decorated may be of any character which is not so porous as to quickly absorb liquids. The material presenting the surfaces may be glass, metal, wood, calendered paper or the like, and the article may be of any type, provided it may be moved during the process or is supported in such position that a portion of the treating material may drain oif.

In carrying out my improved process the treating material is applied in. liquid form, and is caused to move over the surface, and is in part at least removed from the surface during the forming of the decoration.

As an essential ingredient the treating matethe suspended matter be of fibrous or acicular character, such as hair, asbestos or the like, it is first cut or otherwise subdivided into very short sections which are ordinarily not to exceed one-eighth of an inch, and in most cases very much shorter. Where lamellar material such as fiake graphite, mica, naphthalene or aluminum rial includes finely divided particles of suspended matter, which are preferably of lamellar, fibrous or acicular character.

As a further essential of the treating material there is employed a material which will set or harden, and which acts as a binder to hold the suspended matter in place. This setting or hardening may be due to cooling, evaporation of solvent, oxidation, polymerization, the action of heat, or a combination of two or more of these factors. The partial removal of the treating material from the surface being treated may be by draining,.and may be facilitated by disposing the surface in a vertical or inclined position, or by movement of the surface, for instance by rapid movement in a horizontal plane, as by supporting it on a rotating holder.

As a result of the process, the suspendedmatter is caused to fiocculate or draw together into irregularly shaped and irregularly spaced portions which become bound to the surface during the setting or hardening of the binder. There will be no definite pattern to the decoration, and no two treated surfaces will present the same design, even though the same materials and process steps are employed. The pattern may be considered as of a foliated or dentritic type.

Among the various binders which may be employed are caseinsolutions, glue solutions, natural or synthetic resins,'varnishes, nitrocellulose lacquer, shellac, latex solutions, paraffin, linseed oil, etc. These are given merely as examples, and not as any complete list of the binderswhich may be employed. The suspended matter, which is of lamellar, flbrousor'acicular character, may be cellulose fiber, such as wood fiber or paper fiber, asbestos, hair, fiake graphite, mica, naphthalene, aluminum powder, benzoic acid, etc. If

powder is employed, the flakes or lamellae are very small, and measurable in microns or very small fractions of an inch. r

The fiat or elongated character of the particles differentiates them from spherical or granular material where all dimensions of each particle are substantially the same. Thus, the weight of any particle is small inrespect to the greatest dimension and there is a tendency of the particles to overlap and adhere to other particles. Where aluminum powder is used, it is primarilyfor decorative effect and not as the main pattern where other particles of the character above referred to are employed as the primary pattern forming ingredient.

The composition may include a pigment, or the suspended matter may be dyed or pigmented be fore being used, or a dye or pigment may be dissolved or incorporated in the binder. Where a binder solvent is employed, it may be of any suitable character depending upon the character of the binder solids, and is preferably volatile. Among the many solvents which may be employed are water, mineral spirits, xylol, turpentine, etc. l

In carrying out the process the treating material is prepared with the desired prcportion of binder and suspended matter, and if necessary, the solvent. No definite limits as to the relative proportions of binder to suspended matter can be given, as they will vary through a very wide range, depending upon the general character of the pattern to be formed and the nature and character of both the binder and the suspended matter. The liquid should not be so concentrated as to solvent, or so loaded with suspended matter that it cannot readily flow over the surface to be decorated, and should not be so dilute or thin that it will all flow off from the surface before the binder begins to set and the suspended matter flocculates in the portionsoi the binder which are setting or hardening. The surface being treated may be at room temperature or may be heated to facilitate removal of solvent during the draining off of a portion of the treating material, or the surface may be cooled, heated, or merely exposed to the air to effect final setting after draining. i

The term draining as used herein is intended to include the removal of excess material either by gravity from a vertical or inclined surface,

or by centrifugal action from a horizontall disposed surface. The draining need not complete- 1y remove any of the liquid from the surface. The liquid which is applied to one area of the surface may drain across other portions, and all of the binder set before any of the liquid other than the volatile portions leaves the article. In that case the sheet to whichthe ornamentation is applied may have marginal portions cut away to leave an area entirely covered by satisfactory ornamentation. In any event, excess material which may solidify as a ridge or dense portion along the extreme lower or outer edge of the surface may be wiped 01f before becoming too hard, or may be scraped off.

Merely as examples of treating materials which I have employed in carrying out my invention are the following:

Example 1 40 mesh naphthalene flakes grams l 5% glue in water solution cubic centimeters 50 This is applied warm to the surface.

Example 2 A solution of dammar in mineral spirits, the concentration of the solution being 6 pounds to the gallon ounces v 1 Mineral spirits do 1 Ground asbestos fiber, of which 98% passes a 40 mesh screen "grams" 8 7 Example 3 A Bakelite resin varnish containing a trace of carbon black ounces 6 Xylol ;do 4 Paper fiber of 200,mesh grams 50 Example 4 Acryloid lacquer "ounces" 2.5

Zinc oxide pigment "grams-.. 50 /8 inch'bristles do 10 Traces of aluminum powder.

Example 5 Paraflin wax (molten) grams 150 Paper fiber of 200 mesh do..- 20 Pine wood flour of 60 mesh do 10 This is applied hot to a heated surface, which is allowed to cool after the decorative effect has formed. This formulation contains no volatile solvent. I

In each example the material is applied to the surface in suflicient quantity by pouring, sprayi immersing or otherwise, and the excess material is drained off. During the drainsuspended matter is. non-absorbent.

ing a considerable portion of the suspended matter draws together, in irregularly shaped masses, and open spaces are left between such masses where the flow of the treating material continues. In some cases the pattern will be somewhat more dense, that is, contain more or larger deposits at one edge than at the other, but this is not always the case. Where'the draining is by centrifugal action a somewhat denser pattern is usually produced in the neighborhood of the center of rotation of the surface than toward the edges. If the treated material is somewhat porous, the process may be carried out, but usually requires a larger percentage of vehicle or solvent.

Where paraflin wax is employed, as in Example 5, there is no evaporation of any solvent, but the setting is due solely to the lowering of the temperature after draining has been com- ,pleted.

As a general rule the finer the state of subdivision of the suspended matter, the finer will be the pattern produced, and the coarser the suspended matter the coarser and more open will be the pattern.

If the suspended matter have too small particle size no appreciable flocculating action may take place and the pattern may be very faint, or even non-existent. Tests indicate that with mica flakes which will pass through a 325 mesh screen the fioccuating action is very slight, and the pattern ma be considered unsatisfactory. With mica flakes which will pass an mesh screen the pattern is very coarse, and the relief rather high. Likewise, asbestine which will pass a 325 mesh screen does not give results as pronounced as those obtained with 40 mesh asbestos fiber.

The pattern is affected not only by the size of the particles -of the suspended matter, but also by the extent of dilution or time of setting of the binder, and the rapidity with which the excess material is removed. Thus the surface may be drained at various pitches, and where centrifugal force is employed the speed of rotation may be varied through a wide range. Th draining may be terminated before all of the material has set. Ordinarily the draining or centrifuging does not continue for more than a minute, and may be a matter of twenty seconds, more or less.

Where the suspended matter is of a porous nature such as pine wood flour, it has considerable absorptive action on the solvent, and a larger percentage of vehicle is required than where the For ,instance, in using pine wood flour I may employ 30 grams to 8 ounces of vehicle, and where using flake graphite I may employ 20 grams to 2 ounces of vehicle.

The formation of the pattern leaves open spaces where there may be very little, if any, of the hardened or set constituents of the binder, and

where the original surface may be exposed. Various different effects may be obtained by having the surfaces dyed, stained or painted of one color, and a dye or pigment of a different color employed in the treating material. Likewise, the background or treated surface may be mottled or otherwise treated to give a variegated effect before the use of the process, and such mottling or variation will appear in the open spaces between the flocculated masses of the suspended matter and binder.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a photograph of a pattern produced by the use of the formula given in Example 3, and

where the draining was by gravity over the inclined surface of the article, and where the article was metal and its surface was somewhat mottled before the application of the treating material.

Fig. 2 is a photograph of a pattern produced by the use of the formula given in Example 8, and where the surface was of glass, and the draining was by centrifugal-force.

In Fig. 2 it will be noted that at the center portion the pattern is finer and less distinct than toward the edges. Some of the flocculated bodies tend to assume a somewhat radial position in respect to the center of rotation, and others a somewhat concentric position.

No portion of either pattern is identical with any other portion of the same pattern, and no two masses seem to be the same inshape or size.

The finished article is somewhat rough, and

from the treated portion of the surface to leave varies in relief between the open spaces and the solid masses, and these masses vary in elevation depending to some extent upon their size.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder and suspended matter comprising particles each having one dimension many times that of another, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

2. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder and suspended matter comprising particles each having one dimension many times that of another, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface by the action of gravity to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

3. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder and suspended matter comprising particles each having one dimension many times that of another, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface by the action of centrifugal force to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

5. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder and suspended lamellar particles, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

6. The method of ornamenting or decorating a l treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

'7. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder and suspended acicular particles, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

8. The method of ornamenting pr decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder, a solvent therefor, and suspended lamellar particles, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

9. The method of ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder, a solvent therefor, and suspended fibrous particles, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion .of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particles.

10. The methodof ornamenting or decorating a surface, which includes applying to the surface a liquid including a binder, a solvent therefor, and suspended acicular particles, and draining excess liquid from the treated portion of the surface to leave irregular areas substantially free of said particle's.

LE ROY D. SOFF. 

